‘Absurd’: Putin Mocks Zelenskyy’s Suggestion Of Nobel Prize For Trump

<p>Russian President Vladimir Putin has mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy&rsquo;s suggestion that supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could be tied to a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Donald Trump, calling the idea &ldquo;ridiculous.&rdquo; Putin emphasised that the Nobel Committee didn’t not take Zelenskyy&rsquo;s opinion into account when awarding the prestigious prize.Speaking on the matter, Putin said, &ldquo;I think the opinion of the current head of the Kyiv regime was not something that the Nobel Committee was interested in when making its decision. But connecting the Nobel Peace Prize with weapons supplies is absurd, and it just shows the state of the current Kyiv regime.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Earlier, Zelenskyy had stated that he would support Trump&rsquo;s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize if the US president supplied Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine and helped broker a ceasefire with Russia. Addressing journalists in Kyiv about his meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Zelenskyy said, &ldquo;During our most recent meeting, I didn&rsquo;t hear a &lsquo;no.&rsquo; What I did hear was that work will continue at the technical level and that this possibility will be considered.&rdquo;</p>
<p>He added, &ldquo;The plan for ending the war won&rsquo;t be easy, but it is certainly the way forward. If Trump gives the world, especially the Ukrainian people, the chance for such a ceasefire, then yes, he should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. We will nominate him on behalf of Ukraine.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Zelenskyy highlighted that Tomahawk missiles, which can fly up to 1,500 kilometres, could strengthen Ukraine&rsquo;s position and push Russia to negotiate. He noted that Ukraine had requested the long-range missiles during President Joe Biden&rsquo;s tenure, but the request was denied.</p>
<p>Trump, who has campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize claiming he ended seven wars, commented on the missile request: &ldquo;I sort of made a decision pretty much. I think I want to find out what they&rsquo;re doing with them, where they&rsquo;re sending them&hellip; I have to ask that question,&rdquo; adding he did not want escalation.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned that supplying Tomahawks to Kyiv &ldquo;would lead to a new serious stage of escalation in the Ukrainian crisis and cause irreparable damage to Russian-American relations.&rdquo;</p>